The Tate said of the impetus behind the show, “The call for Black Power initiated powerful and inspiring images of political leaders such as Malcolm X and Angela Davis and even works of radical abstraction invoking Martin Luther King’s legacy. Soul of a Nation showcases this debate between figuration and abstraction, from Faith Ringgold’s American People Series #20: Die, 1967, and Wadsworth Jarrell’s Black Prince, 1971, to Frank Bowling’s Texas Louise, 1971, and Sam Gilliam’s April 4, 1969. A highlight is Homage to Malcolm, 1970, by Jack Whitten,which is on public display for the very first time. Whitten was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama in 2015.